Human Geography: Society, Economy and Population

Overview

This course will address central themes connected with social, economic and population geography. It will introduce and examine a range of economic, social and demographic processes operating across different scales. These will be illustrated through real-world examples that link with some of the urgent challenges that face our world today. The course will also explore contributions human geography can make to governmental and non-governmental policy development.

Learning Objectives

On completion of this module, you should have attained an understanding of key concepts, approaches, examples and policy issues associated with contemporary social, economic and demographic processes. This should enable you to: identify the key concepts used by geographers interested in those processes; understand a diversity of perspectives found in social, economic and population geography; undertake bibliographic searches of a wide range of academic and non-academic texts; read and critically appraise a wide range of source materials; describe and evaluate key policy issues associated with course material; construct and deliver sustained reasoned written arguments on these issues; work independently and in groups to evaluate approaches and issues.

Skills

Skills
(T: taught; P: practiced; A: assessed)

Discipline-specific skills: plan, design & execute independent research & study (TPA); combine &
interpret different types of geographical evidence such as texts, visual images, maps, & qualitative &
quantitative data (TPA); recognise moral & ethical issues in geographical debates & enquiries (TPA).

Key skills: abstracting & synthesising information (TPA); assessing contrasting ideas, perspectives,
explanations & policies (TPA); developing a reasoned argument (TPA); independent thought &
self reflection (PA).

Employability skills: learning & study (PA); written communication (TPA); motivation, empathy,
insight & integrity (PA); self-awareness & self-management (PA).

Assessment

None